by J Gaines
“Everything. We have the time.”
As much as Amias despised talking about himself, this time he found it strangely easy. It was as if there was an importance about telling someone his story one last time. He told Lucas about Blaise and when they were children. He recounted the story Blaise had told him about when he’d displayed the first-strength and how he didn’t remember it. He was careful not to include any of the information Kaden had disclosed and Lucas listened quietly, occasionally raising the odd question. As he moved on through his life he told Lucas about the boy he’d killed whilst protecting Blaise. Whilst talking he realised he hadn’t told anybody except Mia the full story of what had happened that night, and the guilt he still felt about it. He shared what had happened to him in the young offenders’ institute and of his incarceration, and his own candour amazed him. The hardest parts of his story were the most recent parts. He told Lucas about Jasmine and Blaise and everything that had happened since he’d first met Kaden. When he finished he sighed, feeling suddenly drained.
“Did you love her?” asked Lucas.
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve judged you unfairly sometimes, I think.”
Amias laughed. “Please don’t get sentimental on me now. Anyway, I want to hear your story.”
He heard a laugh from the opposite side of the wall. “There isn’t much to tell. Nothing as exciting as your story, anyway.”
“I’d still like to hear it.” Amias laughed. “Especially as you just got my life-story from me.”
“Okay. I was a not-so-normal kid from a normal family. We weren’t well off financially, but we got by. I have a brother as well.” There was a pause. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. What’s he like?”
“He’s younger than me and is at university. He wants to be a doctor. He’s really smart, you know. We don’t see each other much anymore though, which I guess is similar to most of the altéré. He doesn’t know what I am and neither do my mum and dad.”
“How old were you when you were identified for training?”
“I was eleven when I experienced the first-strength and I was identified soon after by a woman named Emma. She was my trainer. Unlike Blaise and Kaden, I wasn’t taken away to be trained. I guess I was one of the lucky ones. I still lived at home with my parents and trained after school with Emma. They thought I was part of a Judo club. When I was old enough I moved out of home and joined the fight against Kaden. My parents think I work for a bank.”
“What was Emma like?” Amias questioned.
“She was great. Not the strongest in any of our abilities, but really intelligent and supportive. Emma taught me the importance of being a good leader, both of others and yourself.”
“What happened to her?”
“She’s one of the altéré Kaden has already killed,” came the reply from Lucas. “She was on a mission to extract three altéré targets of Kaden’s. His people got there first and somehow knew they were coming. They killed the targets and waited for the team John had sent. Nobody survived.”
Now that Amias knew the truth about Kaden he felt new emotions on hearing Lucas’s story. Anger and disgust still bubbled inside of him, but now he was experiencing something else: he felt shame and responsibility for his actions. He tried to push these new feelings out of his mind, but he couldn’t. As he listened, each word struck him like a knife, digging into his insides and bringing forth a misplaced sense of duty and an obligation to stop his brother. “I’m sorry,” was the only reply he could muster.
“It’s not your fault. You weren’t even part of the team then. But you see, I have a reason to hate Kaden. If I let revenge take control of me I’m lost, I become useless to our people. We need to stand together, or we don’t have a chance.” There was a long silence before he heard Lucas’s voice again. “Amias. Are you asleep?”
“No.”
There was a pause. “We’re going to die here, aren’t we?”
Amias laid his head against the cold stone wall. “Not if I can help it.”
Chapter 13
Amias wasn’t sure if days or nights had passed. Inside the darkness of the cell it was disorienting. He and Lucas talked in between broken sleep and it helped to have something to focus on. Twice, they’d each received a dirty plate with stale bread and water. Amias had fallen face first into the shallow tin, slurping up the water and savouring every last drop. He knew what Kaden was doing; he wanted to keep them physically weak, and it was working. The delivery of the food and water had been by armed guards who had surrounded both cells. They told him and Lucas to get away from the doors and move against the far wall, which was difficult considering their bonds, as was eating and drinking. When they’d both announced they were in position, the door had opened slowly and the bowl had been slid in. Amias saw that behind the door there were at least four men with automatic weapons pointed at him. The door was then quickly shut and locked.
The next visit they received was less pleasant. He’d been slipping in and out of sleep when he heard the door of the cell next to his unlock. Voices shouted at Lucas to stay where he was and not move. He then heard footsteps as they passed by his cell, carrying him away. As Amias lay helpless in the darkness, he grimaced as Lucas’s screams echoed down the corridor. The torture continued for what Amias estimated was over two hours, when the screams finally stopped. He readied himself as he heard footsteps approaching his cell again and Lucas’s door was unlocked. He listened as the door was closed and the sound of footsteps disappeared. He then shuffled over to the wall.
“Lucas?”
There was no response, so he repeated his name. When he heard nothing again he stopped and let his back slide down the wall, so he was as close as possible to it, and waited patiently.
*
He was unsure of how long it had been since Lucas had last been carried away, when he was taken again. As Lucas screamed, he wept. He strained at his bonds and gritted his teeth, desperate to help him.
This time it lasted longer than it had before, until again the screams stopped, and he heard the door open and close. Amias was left alone.
*
“Are you there?”
Amias was surprised at how grateful he was to hear Lucas’s voice. It sounded different to how it had before, but he wasn’t sure why. There was an innocence and desperation in the three words, and Amias closed his eyes as tears filled them.
“I’m here, Lucas. Are you okay?”
“I think so. Let me check.” There was silence. “Yep, I’m still all here thankfully. I was scared Andre was going to cut bits off me.”
Amias was glad he still had his sense of humour. “He’d look pretty stupid carrying an arm on that necklace.” A cracked laugh greeted him from the other side of the wall.
“Did they take you as well?”
It was the question Amias had expected, and yet it was still hard for him to answer. He closed his eyes again and tried to sound as positive as possible. “No. Not yet.” There was no reply and Amias knew they were thinking the same thing. Kaden was trying something different. He was trying to build a bond as well as break it. He knew they’d be aware of each other’s subjection to the torture now they were in cells next to each other. Lucas was his target to break.
“That’s good,” came the delayed response.
Amias clenched his jaw. “We can’t let him break us. There’s no escaping our fate. If we accept that, then we can still achieve a victory over him. I know you’re ready to sacrifice your life, but you need to allow me to sacrifice mine. There are others like me out there, I’m sure of it. I’m not the last hope.”
“How do you know that?”
Amias bit his lip, desperately wanting to tell him everything. “I just believe it.” There was another silence, so he changed the subject. “I have a question for you.”
; “Shoot.”
“Are you in love with Sophia?”
He’d expected questions back, or some thought given to the question. But Lucas’s response was instant, and Amias was surprised by his honesty. “I’ve been in love with her since the first moment I saw her. Is it that obvious?”
A sad smile spread across Amias’s face. “Only to someone who’s felt the same.”
“Jasmine?” questioned Lucas.
Amias nodded but didn’t reply. “Jasmine told me that sometimes true love between our kind can be more powerful than we can understand. She said it was something that was unbreakable, even by death. I didn’t believe it then, but now I’m not so sure. I can’t ever imagine being in love with someone else. I don’t know if it’s because she’s dead, or whether it’s the love she described. All I know is, every time I close my eyes… I see hers.”
“Sophia is in love with you as well.” It was more of a statement than a question from Lucas and Amias put his head against the wall.
“If that’s true, then she’s in love with an idea of me. She doesn’t know the real me.”
“Who does?” replied Lucas.
“You do,” responded Amias quietly.
There was a pause in the response. “They’re coming again.”
Amias lifted his head and heard the footsteps. There were more of them this time, and to his surprise they stopped in front of his door as well. There were shouts to lie still and not try anything before the door swung open and he was surrounded by people with automatic weapons. He lay still and allowed a hood to be placed over his head. As he was lifted from his cell he heard Lucas call out.
“This is it, Amias.”
They were partly carried and partly dragged along hard floors as Amias tried desperately to gain the control he required. He was still weak and knew he wouldn’t be able to fight his way free. Lucas was right, though; this was it. He knew it ended here. As he was roughly thrown onto the ground he focussed on their only chance. They had to die without giving Kaden what he wanted.
He was dragged onto a chair and bound to it again, and as he waited he heard something else happening around him. His hood was removed, and he was in the same room he’d been in before. It was lighter than in his cell, and his eyes took a few moments to accustom themselves to it. It was then he saw Lucas in front of him. His hood had also been removed and Amias fought back tears when he saw his face. He was barely recognisable; his once handsome face was now swollen and bruised. Lucas was watching him and managed a strained smile.
“You don’t look so great yourself.”
Tears rolled down Amias’s cheeks and he smiled. “I’m not sure we’ll ever be loved again after this.” They were interrupted as the door opened and Kaden walked into the room, followed by Andre. He was dressed, as always, in a suit, but strangely Andre wasn’t wearing a shirt; his necklace was the only thing he wore on the top half of his body. Some of the men with weapons left, leaving just four remaining. Amias looked at the floor and prepared himself. There was more dried blood there now than before. He raised his eyes to Lucas’s and they shared a look of resolve.
“I’m glad you two have been acquainted again. I’m sorry to have kept you apart for so long.” Kaden pulled up a chair and placed it between them.
“I hate to rush this. Especially when I know you’re enjoying yourselves so much. But I’m going to need the location of your base. And you’re going to give it me. Now.” Amias thought his last word sounded out of character. He sensed there was an uneasy urgency to him. “Who’s going to save your lives and tell me?” He pulled a gun from his jacket and pointed it first at Amias’s head and then at Lucas’s. Amias noticed Lucas didn’t take his eyes off him. He looked back at him and could see the conflict tearing its way into his mind. Kaden turned to Lucas, tucking the gun into the back of his trousers. “If you don’t tell me what I want to know, I’m going to kill Amias.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sure John has already moved your people out of your base as a precaution anyway. So your continued stubbornness doesn’t make any sense.”
Lucas raised his head defiantly. “If you really think that, then why are we going through this? Kill us and get it over with.” Kaden laughed chillingly and turned to Andre. He slowly approached and stopped in front of Lucas; his muscular body was rippled in veins and scars and he lifted his arms to stretch. His shoulders and back cracked as he loosened his neck and also cracked his knuckles.
“This is the first time we’ve had the chance to get intimate, Lucas. I’m Andre.” As he spoke his name, he launched a punch in Lucas’s face with sickening power. Amias heard a crack and looked down to see that the chair Lucas was sitting in was bolted to the floor. He looked down at his own and saw it was fastened in the same way. Lucas spat blood and closed his eyes in pain. He opened them and looked at Amias. With each punch that followed, Amias felt a painful doubt grow inside of him. He couldn’t allow this to carry on. Maybe Kaden was right, John wouldn’t have been idle, he would suspect that it was likely Kaden would extract the information he required. But where would they go? Another blow careered into Lucas’s face and Amias cried out.
“That’s enough!”
Kaden turned to him for the first time.
“You have something to say, Amias?” He stood up and walked closer to him. “Do you want this to stop? Then tell me what I want to know.”
Amias looked at Lucas and fresh tears rolled down his cheeks. “If you let him go I’ll tell you. You have my word.”
Kaden measured him for a few moments. “You won’t tell me.” He turned to Andre. “Continue.”
Andre laughed and threw another brutal punch. Lucas’s head was jolted backwards, and more blood escaped from his mouth as he laughed painfully. “Is that all you’ve got?” He raised his lips in his best attempt at a smile. Andre’s eyes flashed, and he hit him again, twice.
Kaden’s voice rang out. “That’s enough for now, Andre, we don’t want him to die yet.” Andre ignored him and was about to throw another punch. In the blink of an eye Kaden was behind him and caught his fist. He expertly twisted him around and Andre was pushed backwards, his eyes wide with fear and surprise. “I said that’s enough,” growled Kaden.
He returned to his seat and sighed. “You won’t die here, Lucas. This will carry on and become your existence. Andre will become your family and the only friend you’ll ever know. But before that, I’ll kill Amias. Don’t think that because we share the same blood I won’t do it.” Lucas’s eyes had been closed and Amias wondered whether he’d fallen unconscious. On hearing Kaden’s last sentence his reaction betrayed him as his eyes snapped open and he looked at Amias in desperate surprise.
Kaden was too shrewd to miss Lucas’s response, and he laughed. “He doesn’t know. You haven’t told him?” He turned to Amias with a broad smile. “I put you two together so that you could get to know each other better. And you hide things from poor Lucas.” His black eyes were wide with pleasure. “Amias and I are brothers, Lucas. Twins, in fact.”
Lucas shook his head, unable to accept what he was hearing. Suddenly it looked as if the pain he’d been rejecting hit him at once. His head fell forwards and blood dripped onto his t-shirt. “No, that’s not true.”
Kaden pointed at Amias. “Ask him yourself.” Lucas lifted his head slowly and looked at Amias. As Amias looked back at him he saw that Kaden had finally achieved what he wanted; he was broken. They looked at each other for a few moments as Lucas searched his eyes. He found the answer he wanted and dropped his head again, closing his eyes as he realised the truth.
“Now, Lucas. Save yourself and Amias and tell me where your base is.” Kaden’s voice had changed. Even to Amias it sounded agreeable. There was a hope in it and a way out, as if all Lucas had to do was tell him what he wanted to know, and everything would be okay.
Amias knew he had to try and
reach Lucas. “We’ll never leave here, Lucas. You know that. He will kill us both and everyone we’ve vowed to protect.” Andre ran towards Amias and threw a heavy right hook into his chin. His face suddenly went numb and he nearly fell from the chair. Andre stood over him, waiting for him to lift his face so he could strike him again. Amias spat blood onto the floor and lifted his head defiantly, looking into Andre’s eyes.
“Two of the most dangerous people in the world are in this room, Andre, and one of them is going to kill you.” Andre struck him again, throwing his whole body into the punch. Amias’s face burned and he felt his cheek swell instantly as his eye began to close.
“You’re not in a position to give threats, boy.” He hissed with laughter and hit Amias again.
As Andre continued to strike Amias, Kaden moved closer to Lucas like an approaching snake. He was weaving himself around his mind and constricting it. Amias watched as Lucas shook his head, still trying to understand what he’d been told. He knew that Lucas was lost now; his resolve had disappeared, and he was resisting with instinct alone. Amias shouted at Lucas and felt a strength begin to return to him. A reaction he thought had abandoned him was fighting to overcome his physical state.
“Lucas, don’t tell him. Think of Sophia…” Another punch from Andre cut him off mid-sentence. His hands tingled, and his muscles flexed as the strength he needed to survive flooded through his body. He felt a buzzing in his head as his eyes focussed on Kaden who was now crouched next to Lucas. He moved his face closer as he whispered something to him. Lucas opened his eyes and looked back at him forlornly. Amias saw Lucas’s mouth move in reply and Amias feared everything was lost. Then, as Kaden moved in again, Lucas spat blood into his face. Kaden’s reaction was immediate. He got up and brought the back of his hand across Lucas’s face in anger. The strike was so strong that the chair that Lucas was sitting on ripped free from the bolts and smashed into pieces. Lucas flew across the dirty floor and Kaden was on him instantly. He picked him up and broke his bonds, freeing him for a moment before grabbing him by the throat. Andre turned around in surprise and Amias saw Lucas’s feet leave the floor as he was held suspended in the air.